So, you think you're a smart shopper. With a few hours and the right amount of spending money, you could find the most perfect, awesome outfit/pair of shoes/piece of jewelry/book/videogame/CD imaginable. You feel so at home in the mall that you've actually thought about what it would be like to sleep in one of those display beds in the department store home section.
But are you a smart consumer? Do you know how advertising affects you? Can you see through marketing messages? Do you know how to protect yourself from identity theft, violations of privacy, and fraud? Tweens and teens are a huge and important group of spenders to many industries, and you're targeted pretty hard. Not everybody has your best interests in mind.
Here's a great way to find out: the Federal Trade Commission's new website You Are Here. It's an online "mall" with games, animated shorts, and virtual shops -- all designed to help young people get more savvy when it comes to money and business.
The FTC is all about that; its job is to prevent fraudulent, deceptive, and unfair business practices and to help consumers spot, stop, and avoid them.
We especially enjoyed the Market-Match game, which had us guessing which cell phones were marketed to which kinds of buyers.
IML has lots of advice in this area, too. Check out our Money channel!
But are you a smart consumer? Do you know how advertising affects you? Can you see through marketing messages? Do you know how to protect yourself from identity theft, violations of privacy, and fraud? Tweens and teens are a huge and important group of spenders to many industries, and you're targeted pretty hard. Not everybody has your best interests in mind.
Here's a great way to find out: the Federal Trade Commission's new website You Are Here. It's an online "mall" with games, animated shorts, and virtual shops -- all designed to help young people get more savvy when it comes to money and business. The FTC is all about that; its job is to prevent fraudulent, deceptive, and unfair business practices and to help consumers spot, stop, and avoid them.
We especially enjoyed the Market-Match game, which had us guessing which cell phones were marketed to which kinds of buyers.
IML has lots of advice in this area, too. Check out our Money channel!
